HOLLIS to Allow Students Access To Lexis-Nexis

Trying to find another source for a research paper will become a billion times easier for Harvard students at the end of January.

Tentatively scheduled for the this month, HOLLIS Plus will launch UNIVerse, a new system from Lexis-Nexis allowing Harvard students to access a virtually infinite database of published material from the comfort of their own dorm rooms.

The Lexis-Nexis database includes about 1.4 billion documents from more than 12,500 sources, including newspapers, magazines, court decisions and government documents.

"We aren't sure of the exact date yet, but we hope to offer Lexis-Nexis by January 20," said Ellen Isenstein, director of the Kennedy School of Government Library and a member of the committee to bring Lexis-Nexis to Harvard. "We're really very excited about this. It will be a terrific service to the entire community."

Harvard's libraries are currently linked to the Lexis-Nexis system, but students must sign up for a one-hour block of time to use the system and enlist the help of a librarian to gain access.

The service will be free to all members of the Harvard community and there will be no time constraints on its use.

The principal difference between the new system and the current one, according to Isenstein, is that the community will have remote access to the database. Students, faculty and staff will need to enter their name and the number of their valid Harvard ID to get into the system.

The service will be accessible from computers either on or off-campus through the HOLLIS Plus Web site.

Although she expects heavy usage, Isenstein said she does not anticipate any tie-ups or delays in service.

And the new Lexis-Nexis will be more user-friendly and easier to navigate, according to Julie Wetherill, training coordinator of library services at the Office for Information Services.

"There will be a flashy Lexis-Nexis link on the HOLLIS Plus home page," she said. "We plan to put in extensive descriptions of what's on the database and plenty of help documents to guide

According to Wetherill, the UNIVerse system is a new packaging of the Lexis-Nexis database designed specifically for universities. She warned that while the new system may not immediately have the same coverage as the old system, it is under construction and should grow to the size of the original.

Students will be able to use the database's resources for research or even personal use.

"It's a very powerful tool," said John Pittard '00, a resident of Adams House. "I have used in the past when I read an article in The New York Times and then wanted to find out more about the subject.

"The Times doesn't have archives, but Lexis-Nexis has everything," he added.

The UNIVerse system was introduced through a joint effort of Lexis-Nexis and Florida State University last September. Since the fall, the company has been working to incorporate more institutions of higher learning into its network.

Other area universities in the process of acquiring Lexis-Nexis include MIT, Boston University, Brandeis, Boston College and Tufts, according to Isenstein.

While Isenstein declined to quote the exact cost of the system, she said it is "very reasonably priced."

According to a press release, more than 788,000 legal, business and government professionals subscribe to Lexis-Nexis services. More than 9.5 million documents are added each week.

Officials at Lexis-Nexis were not available for comment yesterday

According to Wetherill, the UNIVerse system is a new packaging of the Lexis-Nexis database designed specifically for universities. She warned that while the new system may not immediately have the same coverage as the old system, it is under construction and should grow to the size of the original.

Students will be able to use the database's resources for research or even personal use.

"It's a very powerful tool," said John Pittard '00, a resident of Adams House. "I have used in the past when I read an article in The New York Times and then wanted to find out more about the subject.

"The Times doesn't have archives, but Lexis-Nexis has everything," he added.

The UNIVerse system was introduced through a joint effort of Lexis-Nexis and Florida State University last September. Since the fall, the company has been working to incorporate more institutions of higher learning into its network.

Other area universities in the process of acquiring Lexis-Nexis include MIT, Boston University, Brandeis, Boston College and Tufts, according to Isenstein.

While Isenstein declined to quote the exact cost of the system, she said it is "very reasonably priced."

According to a press release, more than 788,000 legal, business and government professionals subscribe to Lexis-Nexis services. More than 9.5 million documents are added each week.

Officials at Lexis-Nexis were not available for comment yesterday